Ranger's Creed
by Andrew Storms
Summary: The Kingdom of Araluen is thrown into destruction yet again, as the King begins a war to end all wars. The Ranger's Corps has been forced into hiding, their base crushed and their leaders executed. Only the newest Ranger recruit can save all this, but would he want to after all the things the King has done?
1. Prelude: The Kingdoms

It had always been this way. The Rangers of Araluen, working in the darkness to serve the light. The King had always been the wise and kind ruler that everyone had expected of him. The work continued to spin, and everything was fine.

But that was ancient history.

The Royal throne was again in the hands of an incompetent fool, and his foolhardiness had caused the boarder to move into flux. The Skandian treaty was broken first, with the Araluen fleet attacking their shores.

Celtica, Hibernia and Picta managed to be merged into the Araluen country, which was a complete and utter foolish move, since the shoreline was expanded, and more troops were needed to control the sea.

Conscription started in the small farming towns of Araulen, taking in every child over 12 they could get their hands on. Gallica joined in with the invasions, taking out chunks of territory. This mass war was soon joined by Toscano, backing up Araluen, and Teutland backing up Skandia.

Nihon-Ja was finally forced into the fray when Skandia launched a raid there and captured several fleets of ships. Then it turned itself into a third world power, claiming several countries to its cause.

The Ranger's Corps were killed. At least, majority of them were executed for several accounts of treason that they committed. The King wasn't pleased that the Rangers had tried to broker peace on his behalf, and their deaths simply enraged the Corps even more.

They cut themselves off from the Kingdom then, and declared themselves neutral before disappearing off the face of the planet. It seems that there is no hope left for this broken world.

And this is where the story begins.

Rangers, work in the dark, to protect the light.


	2. Prologue: Karesh's Reign

**Author's Note:**** All characters in the story are either a part of Ranger's Apprentice (A series by John Flanagan), and I do not own any of them. The Catchphrase, "Live in the Dark to Protect the Light" is a line from Assassin's Creed (A franchise owned by Ubisoft). All of those go to their creator. Anything else, such as the character names or phrases I have created is all from my imagination.**

King Karesh lodged on his throne with his crown tilted slightly on his head. His glaring blue eyes swept across the Throne Room to survey the servants around him. Two advisors were sitting on both sides of the Throne, as well as four knights positioned strategically around the place. A hidden archer was somewhere where he didn't know, but he felt more secure, knowing that the archer was there.

King Karesh of Araluen was trying to understand why his subjects didn't love him. The borders of Araluen had expanded rapidly, consuming Picta and the surrounding contries, and yet the peasants didn't he was as good as a King as his Grandfather, Horace.

He gestured to a servant slightly, and the boy ran away. He soon returned with a goblet of what looked like red blood. Karesh picked it up with his gloved hand and sipped it. His beard was itching again, and that annoyed him, as well as the fact that the wine wasn't as sweet as he liked it.

Drawing swiftly, Karesh pulled out his saber and cut off the servant's head. The head of the boy, who looked to be twelve, toppled onto the floor and rolled until it hit the wall. The trail of blood it left behind looked as the same color of the wine, and Karesh curiously licked off the crimson stain from his saber.

The blood tasted like copper, which reminded Karesh of what was really important at the moment.

"You!" He snapped at one of the advisors as he sat back down. He didn't realize that he had stood up, but it made sense. He needed the momentum to cut off the head that easily.

The advisor on the right side was dressed in greys snapped to attention and coughed before speaking.

"Yes your Majesty?" he asked with a slightly calm tone that sounded like some sort of reptile. His hands twitched slightly and he began rubbing them together, like he was trying to keep them warm.

"What's happening on the frontlines? On Skandia? The last 2000 troops I sent should have been put to good use." Karesh asked, sounding a little frustrated. The advisor looked quite calm in the face of the king's frustration.

"They are being trained and pitted into battle. So far, the Third Legion is working quite well in adapting the Tuscan battle tactics, and we've managed to strike into the heart of the Skandian land." The advisor replied with some arrogance. Karesh was tempted to put a knife into that man's throat, but he stopped himself.

Then, turning to his left side, he glanced at the red cloaked advisor.

"And you? Any work on the Rangers?"

The red cloaked advisor seemed to take a while before answering, and when he did, his voice sounded velvety, almost like a leopard or hunting cat of some kind. Used to playing with their prey before killing them with amusement.

"Your Majesty. The Ranger threat is slim to non-existant. All their leaders have been wiped out, and we have taken over several of their training camps. They do have quite an array of interesting things we can put to use soon."

Karesh shook his head.

"No, I want all of them accounted for. All of them have to be dead before I can be assured of by reign. No matter what, you have to take all of them out, especially their leader…what was his name again?"

The red cloaked advisor grimaced before replying, and when he did, it sounded as if he was spitting the words out, like poison.

"Will Treaty your Majesty," he replied and Karesh smirked at the advisor's obvious discomfort, and the small twitch he made to touch his shoulder. Clearly there was some history here with this…Will Treaty and his Advisor. His Grandfather Horace knew Will of course, but Karesh immediately cut off the Rangers as soon as he could.

"Your Majesty, your Majesty!" someone called, and Karesh turned to see a sweat streaked messenger running towards him. He drew his sword, and the man stopped before the throne and bowed, touching his temple to the ground.

"Your Majesty, the man you were supposed to meet with, the Merchant Prince…has been discovered dead!"

"WHAT!?" Karesh screamed, nearly impaling the messenger in pure fury. His eye twitched, and he stepped off the throne to stand before the man.

"What…did…you…say?" He asked slowly, articulating every word with ice calm composure. The messenger was shivering, but he answered, nevertheless.

"He was found dead in an allyway…

…With a Silver Oakleaf hanging around his neak…"


	3. Chapter 1: Revealing One's Name

**Author's Note: **** I didn't expect this story to be this…popular. At all, but regardless, thank you. Anyways, additional Information here: This Story will be told in 3****rd**** person, but there will be perspective changes, so don't assume things. Also my writing style will be a little dark and deathly, so anyone who doesn't enjoy that sort of style (Fantasy Style), I'm sorry, but you have to stick with me on this one. And…due to a Comment in the Review, I'm amping up the length of the chapters (The Last one was a prologue, the one before was a Prelude).**

_When being a Ranger, following the Creed is one of the more important things you have to do. There are many things in the Creed, and most of them common sense, though some may seem stranger than others. _

_ The First Creed: Never Reveal Yourself Unnecessarily to People._

Will's eyes wandered along the walls of the inn he was observing at the moment. His grey cloak was slightly molted, like a normal Ranger's Cloak, but it was more suited to the city. His hands gripped themselves with tension as he waited.

Then, there. There was the target he was waiting for!

A somewhat bloated man strolled out of the inn with several men accompanying him. He looked well dressed, with a maroon turban and matching gold and maroon robes. On his feet were the most ridiculous shoes Will had ever seen, with the tip of the toe curving up like some awkward fishhook.

The men around the target seemed to be more disciplined. They walked with a rigid precision that Will had always marked out as a warrior's walk. Their chests were bared to the open autumn air, and yet they didn't seem to care at all. They wore short pants, probably for maneuverability, and tough boots that seemed millions of years old.

Will liked those men. They looked like the type that he could take out easily.

A small crowd began to gather as the bloated man began to walk from the inn. They knew who that man was. He was the Merchant Prince of some kingdom or another that Will forgot. Regardless though, he knew one thing.

That man had a target of 10,000 on his head, and he was assisting "King" Karesh. That man was due to die soon.

Stepping around some people, he drew the small saxe knife he always carried. He had many of these miniature knives stashed around his body, though the large one he always had at his belt.

He walked slowly along with the progression until majority of them grew bored of following. The Prince didn't seem inclined to care, though he did seem a bit nervous about walking in the presence of peasants.

Will continued to walk along side him, though he fell back slightly so he was behind the rear-most bodyguard. Then, with not much ceremony, he stabbed the man in the breast with the saxe, and covered his mouth.

The doomed man tried to scream, but Will's hand blocked the sound from coming out. If anyone noticed, they probably thought Will was helping the man up from something. And Will was, in a way. He was helping the man along to his death.

Propping up the man with his body, he lead him into an alleyway, and dumped him here. Then, he grabbed his miniature saxe knife and cleaned it on the dead man's shorts before walking out of the alley like he belonged there.

The progression was walking along quite slowing (Probably due to the Prince himself), so catching up with simple. The two other guards didn't seem inclined to care about where the other guard was. They just seemed bored and tired, probably from guarding the spoiled prince.

Will tapped both of them on the shoulders. They instantly spun and drew their scimitars. Those blades were slightly curved, and tinted with blue and red. But most of all, they looked like they could do some damage.

"What is it?" One of the growled. Will smirked from under his hood and shrugged.

"Oh, I just saw one of your friends get dragged away by some foreign man." He replied in a heavy rural accent. "He didn't seem to be very happy with it."

The two guards exchanged and glance, and nodded. Then they both grabbed Will and forced him to walk between the two of them.

"Which way did he go?" one asked, his breath smelling like a bear's. Will grimaced at the terrible breath, but replied, trying not to breathe much.

"He went back there, along one of those alleyways…"

The bad breathe guard nodded and began walking away while the other guard continued to walk with Will. The Prince didn't notice since he was too busy trying to catch his breath.

Will nodded at the guard, and the man grunted back. This irked Will, so he pulled out his saxe knife and planted it in the man's throat. The guard barely made a sound before falling over on the ground.

The Prince finally took notice at this, and was about to shout something before Will took a few strides over and clamped his hands over the man's mouth.

"If you want to continue breathing, come with me."

The Prince continued to struggle until he realized it was mostly pointless. He went limp and nodded. Will smirked satisfied and struck him on the head with the Striker that he had just procured and caught the Prince as he went unconscious.

Then he suddenly realized that he had to carry the man all the way to his office.

Will sighed and shrugged. He was really getting too old for this…

Sweat beading on his head, Will dropped the Prince onto the floor of the tavern he just entered. No one seemed to care, and Will dragged the man to a table in the corner before sitting down himself.

"Waiter. A cup of coffee if you please." He said to the man in the white and black uniform, and the man raced off, probably to get his order. The Prince stirred slightly, and Will nodded before leaning back on his chair.

The tavern itself was dimly lit with a few candles and torches. The fireplace was blocked up by a huge hog that was turning over the spit slowly, with the fat dripping off it.

Will's stomach growled and he reminded himself to get something to eat soon. The waiter soon returned with the coffee and a jug of honey. This tavern knew Will, not who he really was, but they knew him.

"Sir, there are two people wanting to see you. Will they be allowed to come?" The waiter asked, and Will's eyes narrowed.

"Are those people wearing purple and green?"

"Yes."

Will nodded and the waiter raced off to get his guests. The Prince stirred some more, and muttered something about food. Will ignored him, and tried to think why a bunch of Genovesans would want to talk to him.

The Genovesans didn't look like much. Sure, they were assassins, but they didn't look like they would do any good in a fight. One was taller, and looked like he was a stick, ready to blow into the winds, while the other one, a short kid, looked as if he hadn't eaten for days.

"Signor Roberto" the Genovesan greeted Will with, and Will nodded back.

His alias to the world at the moment was "Robert, the Stonemason", and if anyone asks him the price of his works, he would need a new alias soon. The boy made no comment but to sit down on one of the chairs and look depressed.

The other Genovesan waited for a while before Will inclined his head to a chair. Then he sat down and called the waiter over.

"One cup of Clear White." He said, and the waiter nodded before walking off. Will tilted his head at the child.

"Doesn't he need something?" He asked curiously, and the tall Genovesan shook his head.

"The boy doesn't need anything. He's training to be an Assassin, and that means he needs to starve for a while to understand his commitment to the cause."

Will shook his head and pushed his coffee over to the boy. The child grabbed the mug, and held it in his hand for a while before taking a sip. Then he shivered and smiled slightly before taking another sip.

The tall Genovesan didn't make a comment, but glared at Will.

Will coughed and leaned over the table to look into the Genovesan's eyes. It was totally black, and not reflecting a thing.

"So. Why are you here?" Will asked, breaking the contract between him and the Genovesan, "And what is your name?"

"I can be called Decarno."

Will nodded. "So, Decarno. Why are you here? I recall I asked you that question a few seconds ago."

Decarno made no sound for a while, and then he shook his head.

"There has been rumors you planned on kidnapping the Merchant Prince."

Will smiled. "You mean the fat man beneath our table right now?"

He got some pleasure from seeing the Genovesan flinch away from the table, but then he frowned.

"Who told you this?"

"Assassin's Guild. There had been rumors that a few Rangers still lived. And that you were one of them." Decarno gave Will a sly look. "And that Karesh has a high price on your head."

Will smiled right back. "It's a pity then, since no one can claim it."

The Genovesan shrugged before pulling out his crossbow. The bolt was already placed on the string, and it was tightened. You could almost see the tension in the string, vibrating.

"Do you want to give yourself up willingly?" he asked, kicking back his chair. "Since Karesh didn't seem to care whether you're dead or alive…"

Will shrugged, and acted like he was giving up. He got up from the table and walked over to Decarno and gave him his hands like he was allowing the Genovesan to tie him up.

"And out of curiosity, how much did Karesh offer?"

"75,000"

Will sighed before swinging his fists upwards and hitting Decarno in the chin. He heard something crack as the Genovesan's head snapped back. Then he fell over and crashed onto the floor.

Still, no one noticed. At this tavern, no one seems to care whether anything happened to anyone.

"So. Kid, you have a name?"

The child was still drinking the last dregs of coffee, and he shrugged when he was done.

"I can be called Xavier."

Will smirked at the child's wise-ass answer.

"Well then Xavier, I'm called Will. I believe your teacher is not ready to start your education anytime soon, so do you want to be a ranger?"

Xavier shrugged again before nodding.

Will got up slowly and stretched, hearing his bones crackling and his muscles stretching to their limits.

"Well, first Lesson Xavier. How to get rid of some bodies."

He was really getting too old for this…

**Review.**


	4. Chapter 2: Maintaining One's Weapons

**Author's Note: **** Disclaimer: I do not own anything I have written in this story except my imagination, my characters, and my wise-ass comments. And the money system, since I forgot or I haven't sound a money system in RA yet.**

_Rangers have always been following the Creed, and one of them is directed specifically to help them survive over the ages. People know about the common weapons of the Rangers, being the Saxe knife (Large Size) and Throwing knife. Some might know of the strikers…and of course everyone knows of their feared longbows._

_Little did they know of the other things Will had developed over the years he had been in exile, and traveling over the lands. In Nihon-Ja, he had developed the miniature saxe knives that were still as hard, and yet even more dangerous than their large kin._

_The Second Creed: Always keep your weapons sharp and ready for use._

_In Tunscan, he had managed to get his hands on one of their feared spears, and mechanisms on their catapults, and made quite an interesting creation that he had always strapped on his arm from that day on…_

Dragging the Prince was a tough task, since the guy was finally awake and blubbering again. But the kid, Xavier seemed to come to use again, dragging the man along the floor and outside to an alleyway.

The arranged covered wagon was sitting at the opening, and Will smiled before walking up to it and leaned into the driver's seat.

"Have you **worked** in this business before?" he asked with an innocent smile. The man sitting in the driver's seat smiled and nodded.

"Just get the man onto the wagon. It's to the Oaken Arrow again, right?"

Will nodded and smiled back before slipping 50 Royals in his hand. The man smiled again and gestured for Will to get on.

Will leaned back and was surprised when Xavier was holding a knife, the point straight at Will, and hissing slightly. Then he ran towards Will, looking like he was seriously going to try and kill the old ranger.

Will didn't flinch, but instead bent his knee and slammed it into Xavier's stomach. He heard the wind gushing out of the kid's lungs, and he grabbed the kid's head and yanked it towards him.

Then, he brought his eyes up with Xavier's. The kid's eyes were slightly blue, and looked cold and confident. He didn't seem disappointed that his attack failed. In fact, his eyes seemed to promise more fights. More insanity.

This kid was going to be fun to raise. But he needed to understand a few rules.

"Kid. Xavier. Whatever your name is. I don't care if you're Genovesan or Araluen. I don't care if you have four years of unarmed combat and five of armed. I don't care if you drink milk in the morning.

What you have to understand is that I won't tolerate you harming my job. You may try to kill me anytime, but not when I'm working. You understand me? I'm trying to overthrow an empire here, and you aren't allowed to screw it up."

And Will waited, still holding the kid's face until he felt a small up and downward movement.

"Good. –"

Then, there was another sound from behind him. He felt Xavier flinch away, and knew something was coming to kill him.

He didn't spin, but waited, listening to the footsteps pound from behind him. And just when he felt that the killer was right behind him, he slammed his arm backwards and flexed his hand.

A 60cm long spear shot out of his arm's sheath and stabbed itself into the chin of the driver. The pole-arm went in with little to no resistance, so Will knew that he had done well with the sharpening of the tip.

And then, when he felt his arm slump to the ground with the man's body, he knew it was done. Xavier didn't seem particularly interested anymore, and was poking the Prince with a twig.

Will finally turned to see the driver, shock still evident on his face. He didn't know how much the man was paid, but it wasn't worth dying over. Clearly Karesh didn't know what he was dealing with here.

"Get over here Xavier"

Xavier paused from his interesting game of poking the bound man and walked over.

"You see here? Right here under the chin is the throat. If you stab it with anything, the windpipe would be choked off, and no sound would come out."

Xavier nodded, looking at the dead body. Then he spoke, his voice soft and untarnished by age.

"What if I poke something though the back of his throat? Would it have the same affect?"

Will nodded. "I recommend an arrow, since it's my favored weapon, but anything would work. Improvisation is a good skill to have.

Now anyways, we need to leave. Get the Prince of Blubber up to the wagon.

We need to go see Crowley."

_Will seemed to be very interested in diverse weapons. After working around in Temjuat, he managed to find a way to incorporate a sheathe of metal bits into a wristband of some sort. The metal bits are quite effective as projectiles, abet only in close proximity._

The Oaken Arrow was an old haunt, made by a bunch of old Ranger Loyalists back in the day. It was shut down several times by the Royal Family by strong-arming the management, but it always seemed to spring up once again.

The wagon slowly drew up to the door and Xavier hopped out of his seat. Will was still trying to get the horses to stay calm, and allowed Xavier to drag the Prince out of the wagon. No one seemed to notice this, so they proceeded into the tavern.

Inside it was quite a nice looking place. Unlike most places, its paint wasn't scratched or peeling. The atmosphere was quite nice, with a faint scent of coffee beans drifting around the room.

Will walked into the room and smiled at the smell before proceeding to walk towards a large counter at the corner. He maneuvered easily around the round tables occupied by some diners and smiled at the woman at the counter.

"So Aythna. How's business so far?" He asked curiously, leaning against the polished oaken counter. The woman on the other side glared but didn't dissuade him.

"Not so good right now. Karesh has discouraged out Bounty Hunting Guild, since he seems to prefer to rely on his own soldiers. He does have some good ones as well, some assassins almost as skilled in woodsmanship as a Ranger."

Will smiled. "I highly doubt they would be better than a Ranger."

Aythna nodded, but shrugged. "Yes, that may be true, but nevertheless, they are skilled."

Will made no comment but to nod and cough. Xavier soon was behind him and dragging the Prince along. Aythna didn't seem shocked to see a man in bindings. In fact, she simply nodded towards the door behind the counter.

"Go in now if you want. Crowley would be expecting you."

Will nodded again and gestured for Xavier to follow him. Aythna didn't seem to comment on the boy either, but just stepped aside to allow Will to get past her.

Opening the door, Will stepped into a stairway. The whole building of the Oaken Arrow was around four or five floors tall, not to mention the cellar floors beneath the structure. The trio climbed to the third floor and stepped into another open space.

This time, the only thing in the room was a rather large desk that took up at least a quarter of the room. The rest of the space was occupied by cabinets, drawers and paperwork in general. A fireplace was lit, and hanging above it was a blackened kettle with steam coming out of its spout.

"Hello Crowley" Will said, and the woman working on a stack of paperwork managed to stop working and look up.

"Oh, Will, you're here!" she said with a bright smile. Hurrying around the desk and maneuvering around the papers with ease, she jumped into Will, hugging him with amusement. She looked like a woman of 20 years, still bright and smiling all the time.

Her long black hair was surprisingly clean and well washed, and completely contrasted with the state of the room.

"Crowley" was the nickname Will had given to his daughter, Alison Treaty. Though she had inherited his skill of woodsmanship, she was much better in the office, working on the paperwork that no Ranger liked.

"So. Is the contract still valid? Or do I get paid nothing this time again?" Will asked with some amusement. His eldest daughter replied with a smile and a nod.

"Indeed. The price on the Prince is still valid. The Assassin's Guild sent in the payment around a day ago."

"It seems that they trust my work."

"Most people do." But then she looked at Xavier.

"Who is that boy?" She asked, walking over and touching his cheek with one hand. Xavier didn't make any movement, but to glare at her. His hand twitched slightly towards where his knife used to be, but Will had already taken it away.

"I sense that he wants something. And something might be wrong with his nerves and mind."

Will shrugged. "You were always better with this sort of thing than me. I trust your judgement."

Alison nodded before walking over to the fireplace. She grabbed a pair of thick leather gloves and grabbed the kettle. There was a drawer near the fireplace, and she grabbed a cup from it before tipping some boiling hot water into the cup. Then she got out a bag of coffee beans, already grinded, and poured it in.

This often irritated Will, though he wasn't sure why. He actually wasn't too sure how he makes the coffee, nevermind if he was doing it the right way, but it was just a bit annoying

Alison was completely oblivious to Will's inner turmoil, and handed the cup over to Xavier. Then she got another pot, this one filled with honey, and scooped generous amounts of honey into the coffee.

"I don't like honey."

Will flinched away from the boy as he drew his saxe knife.

"What?"

Xavier flashed a brief smile at Will and handed the cup over to Alison again.

"Can I just have a normal cup?"

Alison smirked quietly at this scene but still went back to make the strong black coffee that Xavier seemed to want.

When they all finally had a cup of coffee in their hands and had finally settled down around the fire, Will began to speak.

"I think I would need another silver oak leaf. Karesh needs to know that the Ranger's aren't dead yet. And that we have the resources to hit him where he's the weakest."

Alison nodded slowly before taking a sip of her coffee (She preferred sugar instead of honey). The scalding drink allowed her some time to think before she spoke.

"Yes. I have a supply left."

"And I need to somehow get to all the Ranger's training camps and cabins around Araluen and the surrounding countries."

At this, Alison finally lost some of her composure.

"Wait, what? Why?"

"Xavier will be my apprentice. I had finally decided this when he tried to kill me."

Alison blinked at the total calmness that Will had delivered the news, and looked like she wanted to protest. But then she remembered she was taking to her father: the most stubborn father in the whole country.

"Okay. I think I might be able to arrange all that. But why? Almost all of them are abandoned and occupied by Karesh's Treehunters."

"Karesh names his woodsmen Treehunters? No wonder he didn't take over the world yet."

Alison glared at her father with some hint of amusement in her eyes.

"They are very skilled though, almost at par with the Rangers. That's how they managed to find us, and flush out majority of our operatives.

Will nodded but shrugged.

"I have to train Xavier somehow, and if I managed to release Karesh's chokehold on Araluen, so much the better."

Xavier didn't seem surprised that he was going to be taken places. His docility seemed to be a mask to his true killer-instinct underneath, and Will was going to have to tame that somehow

Then, suddenly standing up, Will put his cup on the desk, finished.

"I think I'll take the money right now, and kill that blubbery prince. Do you have the silver oakleaf right now?"

Alison gestured towards one of the drawers, and Will walked over and took a few Silver Oakleaves on chains. In the old days they were supposed to signify that the person bearing it was a full Ranger.

Things have changed now.

Grabbing the Prince from the staircase, Will dragged him into the room. Alison had managed to clear the carpet from her floor, so there was an empty space right in the middle of the room.

Will nodded at the Prince, who finally seemed to accept the fact that he wasn't going to live for much longer. Xavier didn't even blink as he saw the man go to his knees and bow his head.

"Do you have any final requests?" Will asked quietly. The Prince looked into Will's eyes before bursting into tears. The initial impression that the man was brave and ready to go was gone. Instead, the Prince was a blubbering fat man that pissed Will off royally.

"No? Then die."

And with a flash, his Temjuat arm-sheathe opened and a metal blade, completely black and in the shape of a star streaked out of it before stabbing into the man's throat.

The man choked on his blood until he died and Will waited until the bleeding finally stopped.

Then he grabbed the star bit of metal and wiped it on the Prince's fine garments. He put it back into the Temjuat arm-sheathe and pulled out a silver oak leaf.

He put the chain over the man's neck and bowed to the leaf.

"I will honor your death my recovering this country. Come, Xavier, we're going to find something to eat. And somewhere to sleep.

I'm tired after all this killing."

**Author's Note: If you have any character requests, questions or ideas, just send me a message or write in the review. I'm always open to criticism.**


	5. Chapter 3: Using One's Alias

**Author's Note: **** Additionally, answering people that have reviewed (Please leave a signature, so I have a name to address you by, thanks):**

**To Guest (#1, Regarding the fact on the removal of the finger): **

** Not technically, I didn't think I stated this properly. An Assassin's Creed hidden blade would have the blade be on the bottom of your arm, strapped on, so that if you flick your wrist, the blade shoots out. In this case, the "Spear" Is a literal spear (You know, metal head, wooden shaft), which shoots above your arm. So you flex your hand downwards, along with the glove, which would be attached to the trigger mechanism that would launch the spear out of its holster.**

**To Guest (#2, Regarding the Mixing of the stories):**

** The inaccuracy is true. I do not play the games, and with that, the portrayal of the story will be off quite a bit. But I am not trying to turn it either way. In regards to Will's abilities and age, well, it will be said in the story.**

**Oh, and if you do review, I know it's difficult on any mobile device, but try to spell properly along with the right punctuation and grammar, thanks!**

_Rangers always lived by their Creed, and this one makes the most sense, when you're not operating in your country. In Araluen, one would be able to use their name and reputation as a Ranger to stop most attacks. _

_But outside of the country, Rangers would be in danger even if they gave their name. In fact, they would be punished more harshly if the enemy knew that they were not of their country. That is why Rangers have many aliases, for whatever use they may be. _

_Will was the most skilled at this, having over ten aliases in every country he visited. In fact, he could probably pass off as a countryman in any country he knew of._

_The Third Creed: Never give your name, unless it is to another of the Brotherhood. Keep aliases for use, whenever you can, for they are more useful than any disguise you could ever hope to have._

Will gestured to the door of the inn, and Xavier followed. In his hands he held a small satchel. Will, as customary of the elder Ranger, didn't hold anything but his ordinary weapons. Nothing was quite visible except for the small saber he carried at his side.

Xavier got his dagger back, and a stiletto that Will probably regretted giving him. It was tucked up his sleeve, on the inside of the shirt, so it was relatively easy to get.

Will gestured to a table, and both of them walked over to it before sitting down.

A waitress walked over, her hips swaying seductively, and Xavier watched with some…longing.

Will quickly slapped him on the back of his head, and Xavier winced before glaring at Will and muttering something about uncivilized interactions between humans.

The Waitress arrived by then, and Will quickly turned his attention to the lady.

"What would you like?" She asked politely, seeming ignorant of the fact that she was facing two deadly killers…or…at least one and a half.

"What's the special today?" Will asked, eyeing the kitchen. The aroma that came from the Holy Place didn't seem too bad. At least Karesh kept that okay.

"Roast Beef Tenderloin, roasted over the fire with red wine drizzled over the meat, with green beans on the side. The salad is mixed beet and tomato, with a sweet and sour dressing that goes on top."

"Sounds good to me. I'll have that with a cup of Iced White wine. And a coffee for the boy."

"Is there anything else you want?"

Will blinked thoughtfully before replying.

"Some privacy would be nice." The waitress nodded before hurrying off to fetch their food.

Serious again, Will gestured for Xavier to hand over the satchel, and he did, abet with a little hesitation. Will took the bag and opened it before flipping though the contents, which seemed to be just papers.

"To get started on our trek across the land, we need to know where the Rangers are, who are there left, which places should we liberate, and how we will go about doing all this."

Xavier didn't even blink at the comment. If he was a spy, Will would be royally screwed, but it didn't matter much. When he finally arrived back in Araluen, he had expected to see Horace to greet him, and Alyss in his arms again.

But it was Karesh, the usurper on the throne and majority of the Rangers dead.

In his hands though, he held all the information that could save Araluen. It may not be able to bring back Horace, Alyss or Cassandra, but it will bring him satisfaction.

Flipping though the papers, he watched Xavier as he recited the information.

"So far, in Araluen, there are approximately zero Rangers. Unless you count the informants that work for us on occasion. They all have some amount of skill and training. But then again, we don't really train Rangers in Araluen anymore.

Now, outside of our right now: Hellish country, we have around twenty Rangers working. Each of them at one camp or another, though most are occupied. They're mostly under siege from Karesh's forces. We need to go and liberate them."

Xavier finally looked a bit surprised. Sure, Will did look very fit for a man his age, but he would have guessed him to be around…60 years old with a receding hairline and peppered beard. He didn't look like someone who would be able to lift a sword from a scabbard, never mind a siege from a city.

Will caught that look and shrugged. Then he pulled out something from the satchel, this time, a small bottle. He popped open the cork, and scattered a few small pink pills into his hands.

"This is something I picked up from Malcolm. He wouldn't want to give this to me, but his apprentice smuggled some for me. It's something or another, which it's name I don't remember. It's some kind of distilled drug that sort of gives you shots of energy. It's killing me slowly, but it's worth it if I can avenge Horace, Alyss and Cassandra." And with that, de dry swallowed the pills and made a face of disgust.

"Of course, something could be done about the taste."

Xavier blinked before he shrugged his shoulders.

"Sure. I suppose that works."

Will nodded at Xavier's indifference and continued with his lecture on the History of the Rangers. He put the bottle back into the satchel and waited until he got Xavier's full attention again.

"You see, we don't have much forces in Araluen anymore, and that's actually a pretty good thing, since we're trying to avoid Karesh's attention, for now. We'll need to get some horses or some form of transportation to get to Marshon, the first camp.

And, anyways, our Ranger horse ranch is still working perfectly fine. We have people running some of them, so you can get one sometime soon." But then Will's eyes narrowed.

"I almost forgot to ask you. How on earth did you become apprenticed to that Assassin anyways? He didn't seem like a remarkably nice fellow at all. And you still don't look like you're eating enough; or mentally healthy at all."

Xavier nearly fell back in his chair from the sudden question. His thoughts flashed back to what happened before. He was…thirteen…right? Or was he fifteen now…? He couldn't really remember…

Will's eyes pierced into Xavier's, and he slowly began speaking, unsure about what he should be saying. All he knew was that Will wanted him to talk, and he should talk.

"Well you see…it all started with a bad deal that my father made…

The skies were blue on that fatal and strange day. It was supposed to be another nice day in the life of the eight year old me. My father was working again in the Bar of his Tavern, "The Blight Untouched".

No one was quite sure why he named the place that. No one liked it much, but they still drank there, since it was cleaner than most places, and shadier than others.

As usual, there was the common black-market trading beneath the tables, two dice games were working in the back room (Entrace fee, 20 Royals). The hitmen where laughing and drinking on their own table, discussing how much they were worth, and who they took down recently and how they were going to kill some Rangers later (Which I seriously doubted at the time, even before I met you).

I was just being the semi-waiter, so I was wandering around, listening in on the conversations. The hitmen weren't worth much, even my eight year old mind knew that. They were just thugs, not worth their cost in Royals.

Some women were at the center of the inn, dancing around something that I was pretty sure a live human body, though I didn't ask. Most eight year old children probably shouldn't be seeing these things, but I took it in stride. My father did what he had to do to get by.

Anyways, this time, I was passing one of the shadier tables in the corner when he heard something that caught my ears, and made me listen in closer.

"Yeah, Assassin. I do want that guy killed. Is there an issue?"

"Si, there is. You can't address me as "Assassin", I have a name."

"I don't give a horses' hoof. I want that man killed."

"Sir. My name is Signor Decarno, and you shall address me as such."

"Fine, Decanto, or whatever your name is. I want that man killed."

"You haven't told me enough information. Who is this man you want dead?"

"The Bartender."

I immediately realized that this was going to be important. I should have gone to my father at this point though. Maybe he could have done something, but I didn't. Even then, I was too interested in the sly talking of the Master Assassins.

"How much will be hit be worth to you?"

The other man look a quick look around, and I ducked past into another table and tried to look I was busy doing something. Anything other than listening to them talk about killing my father.

"2000 Royals would be enough, no?"

Decarno nodded and took the offered pouch from the man's hand.

"I shall do it tomorrow or some other day. Though out of curiosity, why do you want him killed so badly?"

The other man was dressed in full royal red, and his face seemed to match the color of his clothes when he heard this question asked.

"The man cheated me out of my money. He seduced my wife. I want him dead. No one messes with the House of Maveth's Power"

Decarno laughed quietly before shrugging. "Ah well, Signor Royal. The deed will be done soon."

"NO!" I screamed and tackled the man in red. I had a fork in my hand from when I was serving the salads to some customers, and I managed to stab the man several times in the neck.

The blood was dull red, which contrasted with his attire.

Decarno actually looked shocked and surprised. His hands clenched and unclenched with slow ease, and he looked like he wanted to kill me at that moment. But something seemed to overtake him at that moment. He seemed to consider me for a while.

"Hey. Barkeeper, is this your boy?"

My father was already walking over after he heard the commotion, and nodded silently.

"Well, you're son just saved you. I'm, taking him under my wing. He'll make an interesting Assassin."

"Wait, you can't do that-"

"Yes I can. If the person that placed a contract on the target is killed, I am no longer bound to kill the target. And your boy killed this man, who put a target on you. Therefore, I have no need to kill you." And then he glared at my father.

"But I can still do that if you don't accept my generous offer."

"Of what?"

"Your life for your boy's"

My father didn't even blink before replying.

"Why yes, of course. He's yours."


	6. Chapter 4: Taking Care of One's Horse

**Author's note: **** Criticism is still welcome. **

**At ****BrightWatcher****: Thank you, though it isn't exactly as unique, it was an interesting idea I had after reading "Lost Stories" and "Revelations". So, the two clashed, and I realized how similar the Assassins, and the Rangers were. After all, they both stuck to the shadows. As for the leaders, I suppose I should mention them as well.**

Interlude:

Karesh's mind raced as he sat at the Great Hall, on a simple chair before the long table. Several advisors were sitting around him as well, dressed in their finery. Silk capes and foolish costumes that were meant for fashion, but made this look like overrated peacocks instead.

He was wearing his usual slate grey armor and black cape. His hair was dyed shockingly white to give him the appearance of age and wisdom, though he didn't look wise. Not by a long shot. His sword was leaning beside the chair, ready to the drawn at any moment.

"Well. Why the hell are we all there?" He finally said, slamming his hand down.

All of the advisors seemed to be trying to hide behind one another to avoid his wrath. One unfortunate man in a red suit was pushed forward. He tried to get back, but the solid mass of the other advisors' stares managed to keep him standing.

He coughed before trying to speak in a normal enough tone to be considered conversation level.

"Well your Majesty. Y-y-you see… the foreign embassies have finally been thrown down. Your diplomatic forces are all dead. Some worse off than others."

"I saw this one guy. He was cut into 37 pieces and shipped here from Nihon-Ja." A voice piped up from the back before the rest of the advisors managed to shush him.

The already standing advisor looked like he wanted to flee, but Karesh spoke first, before he was able to get a word in edge-wise.

"Yes. Go on. Tell me about the state of the other countries' governments. This should amuse me for a few days."

The advisor looked a bit calmer, since he was in familiar territory, but still spoke in a quiet tone, like he was scared someone would hear.

"The Emperor of Nihon-Ja is dead. Finally killed by someone called the "Sho-gun" and he is the most bloodthirsty man I've known. Though I'm not sure how he can do anything, being across the sea from mostly anything he could attack.

The Skandian Oberjarl is a new one, not Erak, but Erakisonn, son of Erak, as you can tell from the name. He killed his father to get elected, and he holds the Skandians in a tight iron fist. But actually, the Skandians don't seem to mind this as much, since they get to pillage and raid like hell now. They've managed to hit our coast several times, though our archers seem to be able to repel them rather well.

The Good King Sean is holding onto his country with rather good skill, and has two sons now, and a daughter. Their line of succession seems well off, and they seem intent to end yours. Mainly, by cutting off your head and hanging it outside your castle wall, on the long pikes you recently installed."

Karesh nodded in agreement. "Why yes. I enjoy impaling my victims onto those. They make such wonderful decorations, and the people learn to fear me so much more…"

Then he swiftly drew his blade and impaled the man in the throat. The advisors didn't try to move in to help their fellow man. They were too busy being happy that they weren't the one that got impaled.

The dying man was struggling, trying to claw at the blade, as if that would do any good. The colour from his eyes slowly faded as the blood drained away from his neck and onto his suit. The cloth seemed to absorb the liquids like it was thirsty.

Then, tugging the blade around, Karesh severed the head from the body, and grabbed it by the hair. The man's locks were blond and long, so he wiped the blood off his blade with it, before tossing it to one of the guards.

"Get this head onto another pike. I'll like to see this one by the sunset tomorrow. The Rangers should know to not send a spy into my midst."

He grabbed the man's dead body, and began vigorously shaking it until a bronze Oakleaf dropped out of the man's shirt's inside pocket. Karesh picked it up before opening the pouch at his side and glancing in.

He dropped the metal bit in and smiled.

"Fifty-one…"

_Any common man could tell you that the horse is the fastest and best form of transportation. But a Ranger's horse is more than just a means to get to another place. A ranger horse is a companion in desolate places._

_ Where normal human company can not accompany a Ranger, the Ranger has to rely on his horse to be able to get around, but not only that, but to keep him sane in times of fear and possibly sorrow._

_ A Ranger's horse has to be capable to handle rough terrain, as well as long distance travel. Also, they must be able to consume a minimal amount of food during periods of famine and starvation._

_ But the Horse can't be the only one that takes care of itself. A Ranger must do what he can to care for his friend. He must feed it, water it, and make it comfortable, whenever possible._

_ The Forth Creed: Take care of your horse, and it will take care of you._

Xavier's story ended and Will's eyes dropped. He seemed to calm down somewhat, after learning about the boy's past. Maybe he found comfort in the fact that Xavier go to pursue the Assassin's job on his own.

Hearing a cough, Will twisted in his seat to find that the meal had finally arrived with the waiter. Two plates of steaming beef tenderloin were placed before Will and Xavier, and he could see the drool dripping out of the boy's mouth.

There was the side of green beans of course, and the mixed beet salad, but Xavier's eyes seemed to be placed on solely the meat. The waiter also handed Will a bottle of Iced White Wine and placed two cups before them. In one, he poured steaming hot coffee, and Xavier grabbed it with a pleasing sound that sounded vaguely like a mew.

Nodding to the waiter, Will allowed the man to pour him a cup of coffee as well before asking a question.

"Is there any honey?"

The waiter replied in the positive, and Will gestured for the man to get a pot. Meanwhile, he stared at Xavier again with more curiosity in his eyes.

"So. What's your last name anyways?"

Xavier seemed confused by the question.

"My…last name?"

"Yes, last name. You know; your family name. My name is Treaty, Will Treaty…though my father didn't give me that name."

Xavier blinked for a while before replying.

"My name wasn't Xavier from the beginning…but I don't remember what I was called before…"

Will shrugged. "Okay then. I suppose I'll call you Edge then. Xavier Edge. A nice enough name for a nice enough boy."

Xavier, now dubbed as Xavier Edge smiled slightly before trying to drink the coffee. He winced slightly at the heat, but seemed to enjoy it.

"Wait, you didn't put any honey in yet!" Will cried out, somewhat hurt.

"It tastes better this way." Xavier replied, and took another sip.

The meal continued that way for a while, with Will in horror that Xavier preferred his coffee black, and enjoying the beef tenderloin while it lasted. It was a bit of a difficulty getting Xavier to eat the greens and vegetables, but Will managed with some persuading and pulling out his saxe knife after he got irritated.

The meal concluded after Will put the bottle of White Wine down on the table and slumped down, satisfied with the meal. The two companions stared at one another before finally making up their mind.

"To get to our first destination, we need horses."

Xavier nodded, but asked a question before Will could continue, "What kind of horses? Karesh would be watching our trail for sure, and we don't have time to find a good horse on the black market."

Will nodded, but gave him a small smile.

"Who says we need to buy horses? Before I came to kill the Prince and cart him off for cash, I managed to liberate one of the Ranger's Breeding Stables. A friend of mine is watching over it right now, and probably would take over it sooner or later."

"Oh? Are we going there right now?"

"No better place to go at the current moment."

And with that, Will got out the pouch of Royals he had received and placed a couple on the table before walking off. Xavier followed with a smile on his face and the bottle in his hand.

As soon as Will stepped outside and into an alleyway, Xavier swung the bottle at Will's head. Will quickly raised his arm, and the bottle shattered against the spear's sheath, which Xavier had forgotten about.

Will quickly twisted his arm, and grabbed onto the boy's and twisted his arm, so that it was behind his back. Then he kneed him on the back so that he fell on his face into the mud and…things that were on the ground.

"Are you seriously trying to kill me again?" he asked with a frown, twisting the boy's arm.

"Gah. No…I just needed to see how strong you were…if you could handle me…" the boy replied, sounding slightly muffled from the…gunk.

Will nodded before releasing him and stepping back. Xavier slowly got up from where he was lying and tried to brush off as much of the brown muck as he could.

Nodding, Will continued to walk, "You need new clothes anyways. When he get there, you better get a good washing and scrubbing. God knows how much you smell right now…"

The Ranger's Stables didn't look like much at all. In fact, the only thing that made it stand out amongst the rest of the normal stables you see around the place was the fact that it was very well hidden; and the fact that it looked extremely war torn.

Will walked up to the door and whistled and soon after, a cheerful looking young man walked over and attempted to give Will a hug. He was blown off with various swear words from various countries, but Will still looked somewhat pleased to see him.

"So. Edmond. Do you have the horses I got back from Karesh? Is the breeding stock well off?"

Edmond looked like a 20 year old man with blond hair and a ready smile. He a brown shirt and pants with an apron of leather over it and gloves. His boots were mud splattered, as well as most of his attire, which might explain why he was wearing the apron.

"Tug the Fourth seems quite ready to go anytime now, and I have a nice pair of mares that want to be set free from these stables. Do you need any?"  
Will nodded and Edmond opened the fence door for Will to get though. But when Xavier tried to get by without notice, he did get noticed.

"Oh, and who is this guy Will? I thought I told you not stop picking up strays!"

Will looked back briefly and nodded. "That's my apprentice, Xavier Edge. He needs a bit of a wash, so he'll borrow your tub and water."

Edmond glared a Will but made no comment but to lead him on towards the stable grounds and to the tiny cabin that was at the corner of it.

The bath didn't take too long, and it was only about thirty minutes later before Will, Xavier and Edmond was opening the doors to the stables.

"Tug is in there, and I hope you get a good look at the mares that I have. I'm sure one of them would suit Xavier here." Edmond eagerly said, pulling one door open, shedding light into the barn.

The horses inside snorted, annoyed that they were disturbed from their sleep, but one seemed quite eager to greet Will.

Will smiled before walking over and greeted Tug in their usual manner. Xavier watched with some amusement before being led off by Edmond to one of the mares.

"This one is Vesper" He said, grandly gesturing to the black mare that was in the stall. Instantly, Xavier was interested and he made that known to Edmond with a happy cry of joy.

Edmond looked a bit confused, but allowed Xavier to get into the pen and greet Vesper in his own manner.

The mare seemed quite content to allow Xavier to coo over her and didn't try to kick him when he was poking around her mane. In fact, the horse seemed to almost like Xavier, which Edmond found quite interesting.

"So. You like this horse?" He asked after Xavier was done fussing over his newfound love. Xavier nodded with such a passion that Edmond would swear that he could probably shake his head off.

Luckily, Will came over and managed to stop Xavier from getting too excited.

"Anyways, why don't we take her outside and let her run?" He asked, and the two men nodded before leading the mare outside.

Will swung easily onto Tug's back, and walked around a bit before walking back to Xavier, who was still on the ground.

"Well? Get on now!" He stated, and Xavier snapped to follow the order.

Slipping his foot into the stirrups, he swung himself over the saddle and onto the seat. He looked quite content for a while until Vesper reared up and attempted to kick Xavier off.

Instantly, Xavier drew out the stiletto and held it to Vesper's eye. The mare stopped kicking for a moment to look straight at the sharp point of the knife.

Edmond and Will both froze, looking on at the action that was happening between horse and rider.

"Okay…Vesper. I am Xavier Don Edgeo. I am your rider, and you will not buck me off, or I'll pierce out your eyes and throw them off into the marshes, you understand me?"

Maybe it was the tone of voice or something, but Vesper instantly calmed down and seemed satisfied with her rider. Xavier made a happy sound and began riding around the grounds.

Will dropped from his seat to quickly walk over to Edmond.

"Did you that would happen?" Edmond hissed at Will, "My prime horse could have been killed! Or even worse, maimed for life!"

"The boy was raised as an Assassin, and his upbringing will be hard to get rid of. But I doubt anyone else could have done this…"

"You know, there are some that speak of a Guild within the Genovesans. That they practice the dark arts that the Picta's are fearful of."

Will nodded.

"This would prove interesting to use against Karesh…"


End file.
